Does It Have To Be a Small Town?
by ACrackedLens
Summary: Trying to find where she belongs, Natasha Reede ends up in a small town on the northwest coast, the kind of place where she didn't want to be. There, she meets a group of people that alter her life forever. But does it really have to be a small town? Really? Rated T because of cursing and I'd rather not get in trouble for it.
1. Preface

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the twilight saga and all its characters, I only own my OCs. Also, this is only my second fanfic so please be nice :( Also, this is just a preface and that's why it's so short. The other chapters are going to be much longer.**

I was walking around a grocery store, trying to find snacks to keep in my car so I could munch while I drove. I also needed ice for the cooler; who likes a warm drink? People were staring at me; pretty normal for me by now. Most everywhere I go I get stared at. I think it's my hair… Anyway, I bought my stuff, filled the snack basket and cooler, and drove off.

I've been wondering around for a while now. You see, I'm looking for my niche, and neither a small town like that nor the one I came from is right. My parents where sad to see me go, but they understood. I wasn't their little baby bird anymore and it was time for me to stretch my wings a little, leave the nest, ya know? And really, I like it out here. It's just this big sky, the road, and me.

I do get by financially, in case you're wondering. My last two years at home, I worked at this little restaurant as a hostess/busgirl then as a waitress. I got a lot of money from that- mostly tips, and sometimes when I stop somewhere, I feel like giving it a try and I get a job; just something small like working in a restaurant or something. But it usually doesn't take too much time before I'm on the road again. I'm beginning to think that I'm becoming a terminal vagabond…

My car is sufficiently gas efficient and I don't eat too much, so it doesn't take much money to keep my rolling. I check in with my parents too. I call at least once every two or three weeks, usually more often than that, and text my mom a lot.

Well, anyway, on to the next town.

**Thanks for reading, and respond if you'd like. I feel that feedback will keep me going!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Well, here's chapter 1…**

*Someone else's POV*

When I saw her, it was just like… I can't even explain it. But I knew, ya know? I had seen her car first, not many around here are bright blue, and was immediately interested. She stepped out and I _saw her._ She had beautiful maroon hair with this one white streak framing her face and tanned skin. Well, you new she wasn't from around here at least. But what really struck me most about her looks were her eyes; dark, sea-green. I looked over to Jacob. He understood.

"I'm happy for you, Embry," he grinned.

*Back to Natasha*

I got out of my car at the gas station and went in to pay (I have no card, so I always have to pre pay). All the while, I felt like I was being watched, but I am white and I was on a Res, it was to be expected.

After I paid, I asked the cashier how to get to the nearest town.

"The nearest would be Forks, but I hope you're not lookin for a place to stay," he answered.

"Why?"

"'Cause there's no hotel in Forks."

I sighed. Looked like I was gonna be sleeping in my car again…

"If you ask the sheriff, Charlie Swan, he'll probably let you stay with him a night. Tell him Billy sent you," a man in a wheelchair said as he rolled up.

"I thought Charlie was out of town this weekend, goin on a fishing trip or somethin," said the man behind the register.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, ma'am, but there's nothing more that I can do for you," Billy said.

"That's ok, sir. Thanks a lot, though," I smiled. I heard the bell ring and turned around. Three enormous guys and a woman with a scar and her face had walked in.

"Hey dad," one of them greeted Billy, "What's going on?"

"This young lady is looking for a place to stay the night, but I don't know anywhere she could go," Billy told him.

"She can stay a night with us," the woman said, "Right Sam?"

"Sure, honey, whatever you say," answered the one I could tell was oldest. The other boy just stared at me. It actually made me a little uncomfortable…

"Just for the night and I'll be out of your hair first thing in the morning," I promised.

"You act as if this will be an inconvenience to us," the woman laughed, "I've been wanting to start a bed and breakfast, so this will be like practice for me." Even though I didn't know this woman, I could feel that her kindness was genuine. I felt safe, like I was at home. Home…

"Tell you what," she began, "You finish up here and I'll ride co-pilot with you to give you directions. I'm Emily, by the way."

"That sounds awesome. Thanks so much Emily, "I smiled. I gassed up my car and we headed out.

The road to Sam and Emily's house was very long and we got some time to get to know each other.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself," Emily implored.

"Well, my name is Natasha Reede," I started.

"How long have you been by yourself, Natasha?"

"I've been traveling around for about 6 months now. I'm trying to find my niche."

"That sounds dangerous… But exciting at the same time," Emily smiled.

"Yeah, it is; both of them. I left my little hometown in Indiana and went down to Alabama and Georgia for a little while. I have family there and I always remembered liking it when we visited it."

"But it wasn't right for you?"

"Exactly. Then I went to the east coast for a little while and didn't really like it there either…"

"Obviously, or you wouldn't be on the other side of the country right now," she laughed.

"Yeah, I guess," I laughed too.

"Well, I hope your search becomes fruitful soon," she smiled.

"Thanks, Emily." I couldn't help but smile around her. She had this aura to her, like no one could be sad when she was near. I thought of home again.

She asked to turn on the radio and I said of course. We drove the rest of the with music playing softly as she gave me directions.

When we drove up to the house, Sam was outside waiting for us. Or rather, he was waiting for Emily. He carried my bag in for me even though I told him he didn't need to and I followed him upstairs and down the hallway to the guest room.

"Bathroom is the first door to the left, feel free to freshen up if you'd like," Emily told me, "Dinner will be ready at 6."

"Thanks again, Emily."

"It's no problem," she smiled as she shut the door. I looked at the time on my phone, it was only 4. I decided I would take a shower.

After my shower and getting dressed, I came back into the guest room and plopped down on the bed.

"A real mattress," I sighed. A motel might be better than a car, but the beds still aren't all that comfortable. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

Emily came and woke me up when dinner was ready.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," she laughed as she entered the room.

"Is dinner already ready?" I asked as I looked at the clock. Sure enough, I had taken an hour and a half long nap. I was not going to sleep well tonight…

Before heading down to dinner, I slipped my all-black high-tops on and looked out the little window above the bed. The sun was long gone, but that was normal for this time of year.

As I got closer to the stairs, I could hear a lot of voices conversing loudly. I hope I didn't intrude on a night with friends…

"Natasha! You should really get down here before these boys eat all of the food!" Emily called.

"It smells great," I said as I met her at the foot of the stairs. As I entered the room, everyone went silent. Great…

"We're having chili for dinner tonight," Emily continued as if nothing had happened. She handed me a big bowl of chili and showed me to a seat by the window. The boys continued to stare at me, it was like they were expecting me to do or say something… I was starting to feel weird…

"Boys, this is Natasha. She'll be staying with Sam and me tonight and I want you all to make her feel welcome, do you hear me?" she ordered as she sat a glass of water in front of me. I thanked her as the boys yelled, "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" and continued conversing as before.

"Hey," said the boy to my right, "My name's Seth Clearwater. I didn't catch your last name."

"Oh. It's Reede," I answered.

"Cool, cool. So, what are you doing in La Push?"

"Just passing through, really."

"Where are you going?"

"It's rude to ask so many questions, Seth," the boy next to him said. I recognized him from the gas-station.

"But, Jacob, I'm just trying to start a friendly conversation," Seth whined.

"Sorry about him, Natasha. Seth's a bit of a chatter-box," Jacob apologized.

"No big."

"Well," Seth started again, "You've met me and Jacob. That big lug next to you is Paul, he's a cranky pants."

I noticed that the guy next to me looked really pissed. He noticed me looking at him.

"Let's get this straight, white girl. I don't like you and I don't want you here," he growled.

"See, cranky," Seth whispered to me.

"Paul, show more respect to my guest," Sam ordered.

"Yeah, sure Sam. Whatever you say."

"So, Tasha, are you gonna stay for breakfast tomorrow?" Seth asked, "I can call you Tasha, right?"

"Probably. I think I would have to sneak out before the crack of dawn to avoid it," I answered, "And sure, call me Tasha if you want."

"Yeah, Emily wouldn't want you to say you weren't fed while you were at her house," Seth laughed.

"Hey," Jacob intervened, "Let the girl eat her chili, Seth."

"Oh! Right. Sorry Tasha." Seth looked a little downhearted

"It's alright, hon." The rest of the night, I ate me chili in peace. Seth started talking to the other boys about things like school and Thanksgiving break. Paul left right after he was done eating his food with a few of the other older guys. He was by far one of the rudest people I had ever met. Sure, I met people that didn't like me on my travels, but they were decent enough to keep it to themselves. I noticed the other guy from the gas-station sitting next to Jacob and though he was visibly into their conversation, he would look over at me frequently. He was kinda cute. But it was still a little creepy… Seth said his name was Embry.

After a while, all the rest of the boys left and Emily and I washed the dishes.

"It's nice having someone to help me with this," she said. The bowls and glasses were all able to go in the dish washer, but the pots and pans still needed to be hand scrubbed. Even just this was enough to keep us busy for a good half hour. I could see where it could take a lone person an hour or more to do the job themself.

"Say," she said when we were done, "Why don't you stay in La Push for a while? I could use the help around the house and you might like it here."

"I don't know… I'm not really looking for a small town kinda thing," I answered. But then again, I kind of liked it here. There was something about this place that was comfortable.

"Why don't you stay for the next few days and then decide? We won't announce anything to anyone until you've made up your mind."

"Well…" how could I say no to her? "Fine… It's Saturday today and I'll stay 'till Tuesday, then I'll give you the verdict," I said.

"Deal," Emily said as we shook on it. She looked really happy.

"It's been so long since I've had a girl friend to hang out with," she said, "I mean, I love Sam with all my heart, but sometimes I just need to be around people my own gender. Oh! Tomorrow we can go shopping in Port Angelis! Or see a movie! We're going to have so much fun!" She embraced me in one of the biggest hugs I had ever had and I couldn't help but hug her back.

"Well, you're probably tired from traveling all day, so you go to bed. Breakfast will be early, so get some good sleep," she told me. We said goodnight and I thanked her again for letting me stay at her house.

I put my p.j.s on and hopped in bed. Before I flipped out the light, I thought about how my day had gone. I had met one of the nicest people I was probably ever going to know, I had gotten a real meal (and it was free), I was sleeping in a real bed, and I might even have found a place to stay for a while. I also thought about Embry…

"Why does he stare at me so much? Why do I even care?! I've never cared about someone staring at me before, why should he be any different from anyone else?" I thought. I frowned and rolled on my side. What's his deal anyway?

I fell asleep to a sound that I was beginning to grow accustomed to; the howling of wolves.


	3. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoy it. I probably won't update regularly, but I'll try to update as often as I can!**

"Good morning, Sleepy Head," Emily called from the bottom of the stairs, "There's someone here that just cannot wait for you to get up!" Haha, I bet its Seth. He is just adorable.

"Hey, Tasha!" Seth called. Nailed it!

I got out of bed and changed into some denim skinny jeans and a purple v-neck t-shit. I pulled on my shoes and walked to the top of the stairs. Seth was waiting at the bottom.

"Good morning, Tasha!"

"'Morning Seth, I'll be down in just a little while." He was like a little puppy! Just sooo cute! I brushed my hair and teeth and went downstairs.

"Good, you showed up! Seth wouldn't shut up about you," Jacob said. There weren't as many guys this morning as there had been last night, just Seth, Embry, Jacob, and a boy sitting next to him that I didn't know the name of.

"'Can I go see if she's up?' 'Can we wake her up, please?'" the boy next to Jacob teased.

"Oh, shut it," Seth blushed.

"Hey, I think it's sweet guys," Emily said, "At least he made a new friend. None of you have talked to her."

"I talked to her last night!" Jacob defended. Emily's wanting me to get to know them so there's a greater chance that I stay, I bet. It seemed none of them wanted to disappoint her.

"So, since Em's wanting us to chat, I'm Jared," the boy next to Jacob introduced. I took a seat next to Seth at the table and filled my plate with eggs and bacon.

"And this is Embry," Jacob said as he pointed to him. He didn't know that Seth had told me about Embry last night. Embry blushed a little.

"Hey," I said as I began to put food in my mouth.

"Jeeze, girl. Are ya hungry?" Jared commented.

"You do **not** know how long it's been since I've had food this good. So don't even," I joked. He laughed.

"Ok, white girl."

Emily sat a glass of orange juice in front of me. I thanked her with a full mouth before I took a big gulp to help swallow it down. The last time I had had bacon and eggs was at a motel a few cities ago. The eggs had been way to square and runny and the bacon was chewy and soggy… But this was much, much, much better.

"Wow, boys, I think you've got some competition in appetite!" Emily laughed.

"Ah, hell nah!" Jared exclaimed before he started shoveling food into his mouth. I could tell that he was the clown of the group. I laughed in his general direction and began eating again.

"So, Natasha, what brings you to La Push?" Embry asked.

"I already asked her that last night," Seth sassed.

"Well, I didn't know that and I was trying to be nice," he replied, "Sorry."

"It's ok," I laughed, "Just sort of passing through, maybe visiting for a while."

"Aren't you leaving today?" Seth asked.

"Nah. I need to take a little break from traveling and Emily said I could stay here for a few more days," I told him (mostly the truth).

"Awesome! Guys, we should show her around today, be her personal tour guides!"

"Seth, she just said she needs rest, not an excursion," Embry said.

"No she didn't" Seth retorted, "She said she needed a break from driving, not that she needed to just sit around all day; right Tasha?!"

"Hold on, Seth, no need to get so worked up, hon," I started, "I'd love to see the place, but I want to just, I don't know… Sit for a while? I just woke up."

"Ok. So we'll watch some TV or something then go to the beach?"

"Sure, hon."

Ok, I want to get out of this house **now**. I was sitting through a **marathon **of Gumball and I could not feel my brain. Had it been an Adventure Time marathon, I would be ok. But no, it was _Gumball_.

"Hey, Seth, soo… You want to show me around now?" I asked (begged).

"Sure, Tasha! Are you… Rested enough?" he asked almost snidely as he looked over at Embry who rolled his eyes in return.

"Yes, defiantly," I responded. Please get me out of here!

"I'll drive," Embry said. Seth and Jared whooped and ran out the door. Embry and I walked like normal people. Jared tried to get into the passenger's seat of Embry's two door truck.

"Hey," Embry called, "Ladies get first pick, man."

"Would you like to ride_ in _the truck, miss?" Jared asked as I walked up.

"Why, yes sir, I would." Embry seemed happy that I'd be sitting next to him.

The whole truck rocked as Seth, Jared, and Jacob got into the bed of the truck. 'Jeeze, how much do you have to weigh to do that?' I joked in my head. I wouldn't feel comfortable joking like that to their faces yet.

The beach was beautiful, but cold and I had forgotten to grab my coat in my haste to escape Gumball. I was able to stay strong for some time because I would position myself so that I stood in the middle of the boys so as to not be hit as bad by the wind. I wondered why they weren't cold though, because none of them had sleeves on. Jacob didn't even have a shirt. AND THEY WHERE WEARING SHORTS, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! But I guess they're used to it or something, growing up here and all. Once we got to the more narrow parts of the beach, we were forced nearer to the cliffs and the wind was everywhere, coming in from the sea and bouncing on the rocks. I just noticed something; any other girl walking around with four huge guys she didn't know would be terrified right now. But I just couldn't feel afraid around them. I actually felt really safe. Maybe it's the bear spray that I keep in my purse (dad insisted that I carry bear spray because it had a longer range and stronger effect than normal pepper spray)? Why did I have my purse but not my coat? Oh, right. It had been right there in the living room. Embry noticed that I was cold first.

"Damn, you must be cold, Natasha. Sorry that I forgot you would need a coat," he frowned.

"Hey, I forgot too, ok. So it's not your fault," I laughed.

"Maybe we should go back and get her coat?" Seth asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Jacob said.

"I second this motion because I am hungry," Jared added. We all laughed.

"Here," Embry said as he put an arm around me, "I'll try to help keep you at least a little warm."

Holy shit, he's warm. I jumped a little because of that and then I decided that I didn't care why the hell he was so warm and just leaned into it.

"Now that we have Natasha's coat," Jacob started, "let's go to, well, damn. Back to the beach I guess? Unless we want to go to Forks, there isn't anywhere else to go…"

"At least be there for the bonfire tonight, guys. Natasha, you and I are going to go see a movie tonight since you're not allowed at the tribe meeting."

"Awesome! And I totally understand, I'm not a part of this community," I said. I heard Embry mutter "Yet," under his breath.

On the drive back to the beach, I decided to sit in the back. I had never ridden in the bed of a truck before.

"Really?" Seth asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I grew up in a town just big enough that that was against the law. Don't get me wrong, it was still tiny. There was only one high school, like in Forks. But the two streets that split the town in fourths where really big and a lot of cars and 18 wheelers passed through on them. We were in a really scenic location too, so we always had a lot of people visiting and the town council wanted the town to look really clean and pristine," I told him.

"That sounds snooty," Seth frowned.

"I agree," I smiled.

We passed over a bump and I just about flew out of the truck bed.

"Looks like you still need a lot of practice at this," Jacob laughed as he pulled me back in.

"Sorry, Natasha," Embry called (I love typing that too much).

"It's ok," I laughed, "It was actually kind of fun!" 'Liar,' I thought, 'you hate that feeling.' You know the feeling, like when you're on a ride and it's going straight down, or one of those drop rides. The feeling is almost exactly the same when you're flying out of something. It's scary and unpleasant.

"Oh really now?" Jacob asked, "Do you want to try it again?" He leaned toward me slightly and I jumped back.

"No, thank you!"

"Haha! I knew you didn't. You screamed too much the first time," Seth said. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

When we got to the beach again, we just stood around and kicked at the sand. Then Seth suggested that we play tag or something.

"Oh, come on, Seth," I said (whined), "That's not fair."

"How?"

"Look at how fit and long legged you guys are, then look at me. Defiantly an unfair advantage."

"Shorty's right," Jared chuckled, "there's no **way** she could keep up with us."

"But that's what would make it fuuun!" Seth replied.

"No, Seth," Embry said.

"Fine… What are we going to do, then?"

"We could make a sandcastle. I've never made one before," I suggested.

"What?" Jacob laughed.

"Oh, white girl, you have not _lived_," Jared said.

"Then we'll build a sandcastle," Embry smiled.

"Yay!" Seth and I cheered together.

We spent the rest of our afternoon building the most gorgeous sandcastle EVER. It had the central castle, a stable, a pond, a well, a servant's quarters, and the double outer walls with a mote. The draw bridge was down because it was inhabited by a very generous king who wished to share his beautiful palace and his wonderful wisdom with all of his subjects. We then made a little village surrounding the castle with large, beautiful, fresh tilled fields and pastures filled with cows and sheep (big lumps of sand and little lumps of sand). We even made tallish, thin lumps of sand (people) and I used my delicate fingernails to give the villagers smiles. Who wouldn't smile in a kingdom like that? When we were done, I stepped back and took a picture of it with my phone to send to my mom (whom I really needed to text) and a lot with my digital camera, getting close ups on some of the finer details of the kingdom. I was in the middle of sending the picture to my mom when Emily called. I had given her my number before we left so she could get a hold of us if we stayed out too late.

"Hey, Emily," I greeted, "Do we need to be heading back now?"

"If we're gonna catch our movie, yeah," she laughed, "What have you guys been doing?"

"Oh, you know. Normal stuff. Like, building a whole medieval village."

"You'd better take some pictures for me!"

"Already taken care of."

"Great, now hurry home!"

"'k." And with that, I hung up.

"We need to be getting you back?" Embry asked.

"Yeah, if Emily and I want a hope of making it to our movie in time."

"We'd better hurry then, "Jared said as he threw me over his shoulder and ran for the truck. Everybody laughed and followed us.

"Hey, I'm gonna speed a little bit, so I'd feel better if you sat up front with me," Embry said to me.

"Ok."

I was glad I hadn't sat in the back. I was scared enough in the front as it was. The boys had turned this into a "Get Natasha to Emily's car as fast as possible" _mission_ or something because I was hoisted up again to be run to Emily's car with them yelling and going on like it was some covert operation.

"We have delivered the package, Ma'am," Embry saluted to Emily.

"Thank you, Officer Call, now carry on, solider," she laughed as she approached her vehicle. The boys ran into the house, probably to eat something.

"Those boys make a game out of anything they can," Emily said as she got into the car.

"Yeah, I noticed," I laughed, "I was the queen of the castle while we were at the beach this last time."

"Who was your king, might I ask?"

"Embry was," I replied.

"Ooooh." She smiled like she knew something I didn't.

The rest of the car ride was spent talking about girly things like nail polish and fashion. Emily wanted to know if I had noticed changes in fashion from place to place as I traveled, I asked her how life in La Push was, and we had pleasant conversation.


	4. Chapter 3

**Yaay ch3! Hope everyone enjoys! Also, I want to make clear that the events in this story occur a year and a half or so after breaking dawn part 1. Like, Natasha just graduated high school and she and Embry are the same age. I'm sure everyone go that already, but I'm just making sure!**

Last night had been a lot of fun. Emily and I had watched our movie, then we walked around and did some window shopping. Basically, we were girls doing girl things like legitly shopping and giggling at boys and stuff. Just don't tell Sam that we giggled at boys… He would flip his shit… It would do this beautiful pirouette and be flipped as fuck. Just don't tell him.

But now, I was hangin with mah _crew_. And by that, I mean eating breakfast with Embry, Seth, Jacob, and Jared (I was eating a muffin that was bigger than my hand, maybe even bigger than my foot). A couple of other guys where here too. They had introduced themselves as Quil Ateara and Brady Fuller. Brady was so young, I couldn't believe he was part of this crowd. He, like Seth, looked at me with puppy eyes.

"So, Tasha," Brady called me by Seth nickname, "You staying in La Push?"

"Well…" I started.

"So, boys," Emily cut in (phew), "are you going to eat this food or what?"

"But-" Brady started.

"Eat."

"Yes, ma'am…"

The question did make me think though… What was I going to tell Emily tomorrow? Maybe she'd give me more time to think? I should have asked for more time in the first place… I didn't even really know these people yet. How could I feel comfortable enough to stay? But I did feel that way. Something was telling me to be here. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just felt like I belonged here. But that was crazy! I hardly knew these people! And yet, I felt like I'd known them my whole life…

"Tasha," Seth said, waking me from my thoughts, "What do you want to do today?"

"Is there really anywhere to go but the beach?" I asked.

"We could go into Forks," he suggested.

"Don't you have school today, anyway?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah… School…" Seth goes to a local high school along with Brady.

"So it'll just be the five of us," Jared said.

"Jared, we have that thing to do today. Remember?" Jacob asked him.

"What th- Oh yeah, that thing. Yeah, totally."

"You too, Quil."

"Aw, man!"

"I guess it'll just be you and me today," I said to Embry. He looked up, startled.

"Oh, yeah. I've… got nothing better to do."

Embry and I were at the beach, once more. We were kind of awkwardly walking next to each other without saying anything. That's when I got the bright idea to speak up.

"So, how long have you lived here?"

"Uh, my whole life, really." That was a stupid question…

"Yeah, I guess…"

"How much longer are you staying in La Push?"

"I don't know…"

"I think you should stay here for a while. You could learn to like it here."

"I do like it here, but I don't really know why…"

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled.

"That's not what I meant! I mean, you guys are great, but I'm just worried about how fast I felt comfortable here. It's actually sort of frightening, if you think about it…"

"I see what you mean, but I still think you should stay a while longer."

"Well, Emily's wanting me to stay too and I told her that I'd tell her tomorrow if I was staying or not, but I think I'm going to ask for more time… Maybe about a week's more time…"

"I think that would be fair."

"Hey, look! Our castle is still there!" I ran up to it to see that it hadn't the detail it had before, but the basic structures still remained.

"Since you hadn't made a sand castle before, does that also mean that you've never made a sand angel?"

"Well, yeah, I guess?"

Embry plopped down into the sand and started waving his arms and legs like you would to make a snow angel.

"This is where it's at," he grinned, "You should try it."

"It just looks like you're getting sand all over yourself. I like this coat, so I think I'll decline," I replied.

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a kill-joy," he smiled. His smile…

"Nah, I think I'll pass, Embry."

"Well, fine then. Have it your way."

He pulled me to the ground and sand got **all over me**. I picked up a handful of sand and threw it at him. He picked one up and threw it at me. The war began.

We were running up and down the beach, throwing sand; getting hit by most of it, and dodging some of it. I threw some sand at his face, knowing he would turn away from it. While his back was turned to me, I ran behind a large rock to hide. I stood still and listened to see which way he was coming around. I was looking over my left shoulder as I was attacked from the right.

"Got you!" he cheered as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me into the air. I squealed and begged him to put me down.

"Seeing as you are properly covered with sand, I will," he said.

"Why did I have to get my $200 coat dirty again?" I asked (It wasn't really $200, more like $120, but ya know, still _nice_).

"Ah, _shit_! I'm so sorry! I'll pay for the dry cleaning, I promise!" He was beside himself.

"I just wanted you to see that it's not that bad to get dirty, I guess…" he said.

"Embry, I have two younger brothers back home. I know how to play in the mud," I laughed.

"Ah, that's why we don't scare you so much, you're used to being around boys," he laughed also.

"Oh, yeah. Every weekend, there'd be about 12 or so at my house 'cause the boys liked to have their friends over."

"What about you? Did you have any friends?"

"I had a few, but I wasn't quite as personable as the boys. And what friends I do have, are very tight. They're like sisters to me." I smiled as I remembered my friends.

"If you where so tight," he asked hesitantly, "why did you leave?"

"We all left in our own ways. Some of to college, Emma went to live with some family in Canada, and I left on a road trip."

"Do you still keep in touch?"

"We used to Skype every week, but then I stopped checking in as often because it's hard to find free wi-fi. Now I check in every month or 2. But it's always a party." I smiled at the memory of our last conversation. The topic had started as "Uuuugh homework" then went to "Oooooh boys" to "Shoes!" to "Guess what I just saw here in Canada" (Emma had seen a mouse do something ridiculous) to "Shit, it's 3 in the morning already?!" to "'night everybody, love you!"

"That sounds nice, apart from the fact that you can only check in every month or so… Hey, that'd be a reason for staying here."

"Yeah, 'cause Sam and Emily have wi-fi." (Sarcasm)

"Well, _they _don't… But I'm sure Jake would be more than happy to let you use his."

"Yeah, probably." We walked a little more in silence. It wasn't as awkward as the first time.

"Hey, Embry," I started, "Why do you guys want me to stay so badly?"

"Well…" he seemed taken aback by my question, "I don't know… I guess we just feel connected to you somehow?"

"I sort of feel the same way… I just can't explain it. But I'm still going to ask Em for more time."

"Fair enough," he smiled.

At lunch time, we went back to Emily's house. Apparently, she serves all the boys all their meals.

"You are a mess!" she scolded, "Is this your fault, Embry?"

"Not entirely," I said.

"Well, get those clothes off and give them to me. And take a shower to get all of that sand out of your hair." Emily reminded me of my mother.

"Yes, ma'am," I said before heading up stairs. Emily gave me a basket to put my clothes in and I filled it up. I stuck a note to my coat that said that Embry was going to dry clean it for me, but to pretty please beat all the sand off it that was possible. Everything else could go through washer/dryer for all I cared.

I took my toiletries bag into the bathroom with me; it had the shampoo I preferred in it. I also needed my face stuffs. My shower was decently short for one of my showers- I didn't bother shaving- and I was out before anyone missed me. There was even some food left!

We were having samiches. Make your own. So I decided to use no bread and just put some cold cuts onto a plate with some cheese slices and ate that (I'm not much of a bread person). Jake, Embry, Quil, and I sat in front of the tv and watched an episode of Supernatural that was on; t was about werewolves. The boys couldn't stop snickering for some reason. Maybe some kind of inside joke.

After that episode finished and another came on, I slipped away into the kitchen to talk to Emily.

"Hey, Emily," I started, "I wanted to maybe ask for another week to think things over?"

"That's perfectly fine, Sweetie, it was too much to ask for you to decide by tomorrow," she laughed, "I'm really glad that you asked for more time, to tell you the truth. I was afraid that you'd panic and leave if the deadline was tomorrow."

"Yeah… I was scared of that too…"

"So you want to stay?"

"Sort of, but I don't even know why… I was talking to Embry about this earlier."

"You'll find your answer soon, I'm sure," she smiled.

"Thanks, Emily. Your confidence is reassuring." I smiled and helped her finish cleaning the kitchen.

"Ah, just doing women's work, I see," Embry said as his head peeked around the corner. He had a big grin on his face.

"Aww, did you miss Natasha?" Emily cooed sarcastically.

"Oh, hush, Em…" Embry pouted. His head retreated to whence it came.

"Boys," we said unanimously.

"Are you talking about me?" Sam asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Yes, defiantly," Emily said before giving him a kiss. What they had was so beautiful… I just prayed that I'd have something like that someday.

"Sam, there's something we need to talk about," Emily told him.

"O… k?" he said, cautious.

"Natasha will be staying for a few more days than we thought."

"Really now?" He was trying to repress a grin.

"Yes. Like, 7 to 10 more days…"

"Well, if she needs to. But I want her out of my house as soon as possible," he joked, "She doesn't do _anything _around here." I smiled; it had been a while since I had been around people that had a sense of humor this nice.

"I promise that I will kick her to the curb as soon as possible," Emily joke.

"Whoa, were did Mr. Nice Sam come from?" Embry asked as he came back into the kitchen, "I've never seen him before."

"Well, you're usually not listening to me," he replied, back to his serious self. 'Way to go, Embry,' I joked. Well, at least that was taken care of.

*Embry's POV* (while watching tv with the other boys and Natasha had already gone into the kitchen to help Emily)

"Guys, _I need your help_," I begged as soon as Tash (that's what I call her in my head) was out of hearing range.

"With what, dude?" Jacob asked as he turned to me. The others gave me their attention too.

"I don't know what to do…"

"About Natasha?" Jared asked.

"Yeah…"

"Dude, it'll come to you," Quil promised.

"But what if it doesn't? I don't know what she wants at all…"

"Come on, man!" Jake started, "She wants a home! Some where she feels she really belongs."

"I know that, I just don't know what she wants when it comes to me."

"It's the same, Em; exactly the same. Just make this feel like home for her. _Romantic_ type stuff will come later, after she's established herself here," Jacob reassured.

"So, just be friends with her for now?"

"Yes, exactly," Jared said.

"But I don't know if I really want to be 'just friends' with her…"

"It could be that she does want a relationship, but now just isn't the time. You're going to be just as conflicted as her when it comes to that kind of stuff," Quil said.

"But for now," I said, "I'll just be her friend. I'll sway her to stay in La Push."

"That's good, Embry. And remember, it's gonna be lots of little things," Jacob said.

I got up and went to find Natasha, I missed her too much… But I would just go with the flow.

**Hope everyone enjoyed! I would really like to hear from you guys, ya know? So please review! :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**I know it might seem like the situation Natasha is in isn't a very realistic one, but it really would be, if you think enough about it. I mean, everyone but her knows that Embry has imprinted on her; they obviously are going to want her to stay so she and he can be together. I just felt like I had to make that clear, not to, like, degrade anyone or anything; I just felt I needed to. Now on to chapter four! :)))**

I was sitting on the couch, reading a book when I just put it down and sighed. It was too quiet in the house with my boys gone. Everyone had something to do today, even Embry, so it was just me and Emily at home. Emily was even at the grocery store at the moment, so it was really just me at home.

But anyway, the past couple of days, I had been able to spend a lot of time with everyone (I even learned that Emily isn't the only girl in the group; there's a girl named Leah that just doesn't really like coming to the house for some reason. I haven't met her yet) and now on Friday, everyone had something to do. And it was much too quiet! That was the biggest thing, the silence here. No cars drove by, no insects buzzed (they had all probably died already); it was just silence. Every now and again the wind would rustle what few leaves remained in the trees or a bird would chirp, but that was it. I went to my room and got my ipod out of my purse and started playing it.

I had my ear buds in as I was picking up around the house and didn't hear Emily when she came back in, so when a hand placed itself on my shoulder, I jumped.

"It's ok, Tasha," Emily laughed (everyone had started calling me Tasha by now), "It's just me."

"My Lord, Emmie, you scared the hell out of me!" I panted.

"Sorry, scaredy cat, I just wanted to know if you wanted to help me make lunch."

"That sounds awesome," I smiled.

We were having beef and potatoes for lunch today. Emily had me peeling the potatoes while she seasoned the beef. I was beginning to pray that I'd never see another potato ever again. I mean, I like potatoes and all, but after you've peeled 10 or so and you aren't done, you begin to get sick of that raw potato smell. But Emily and I's conversation was intriguing enough to keep my thoughts away from potato smell for the most part.

"So, Tasha, are the boys treating you alright when you guys go hang out?" she asked.

"Yeah, they treat me like a freaking princess. Why do you ask?"

"I know they can be a bit…overwhelming at times."

"Haha, I know what you mean. But they're nothing Natasha Reede can't handle!" I exclaimed as I held my potato peeler high in the air.

"Well, that's good to know," Emily smiled, "So, let's talk about other things then."

"Like what?"

"Oh, girl stuff." Oh no.

"Like…?"

"I don't know, maybe boys?" NO. I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.

"But weren't we just talking about boys?" She didn't seem to hear me.

"More specifically, if there were any you might be interested in." FUCK.

"Oh, not really."

"Come on, Tasha, you've been surrounded by these boys for almost a week, and I'd say there pretty good looking, wouldn't you?" she winked. WHY.

"Well, yeah, I guess so…"

"And they're really nice guys too, especially Embry." PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, EMILY.

"Yeah…"

"Oh, come on! I see the way you look at him, Sweetie! Don't try to deny it," she winked again. SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA! I looked down at my potato and pretended that peeling it was the most interesting thing ever to happen. EVER.

"I don't want to have this conversation."

"Whyyyyy?"

"Just… Just 'cause…"

"No, that's not good enough. I know you like Embry, Tasha. It's as plain as writing on a wall."

"Do you think he knows?" I asked as I looked up from my potatoes again.

"Believe me, hon, he has **no clue**, **NONE AT ALL**."

"Thank goodness!" I sighed.

"But," Shit.

"Oh no…"

"But I think you should let on a little as to how you feel. I think you might like the outcome."

"I doubt it…"

"Fine, be that way. Suffer the consequences for not heeding the Great and Knowing Emily."

I went back to peeling potatoes. Later, I successfully changed the conversation topic to how much these boys eat. We agreed that they must be completely hollow on the inside, because no one eats as much as they do without throwing up halfway through.

"Eeew… Why is there still some peel on the potatoes?" Quil whined.

"Because the peel is good for you," I said, "Now hush and eat your food."

"Yes, mommy…"

"So, Tasha," Embry started, "What have you been up to today?"

"Not much, really. I read for a bit, then helped make lunch."

"Sounds kinda dull," Jake joked. (lol see what I did there? Consonance, it's a funny thing.)

"It was! I missed my boys real bad."

"Aaaw, we missed you too," Jared said as he gave me a big bear hug. I felt so at home here. I just couldn't believe how little time it took for me to become so comfortable in a complete stranger's home. I was beginning to believe more and more everyday that I would be telling Emily that I would be staying, but I wasn't quite ready to jump the gun on it yet.

"Tasha," Sam said.

"Yeah?" I asked. Sam wanted to talk to me? I was feeling a little nervous about that. He was just always so serious…

"We're having a council meeting tonight."

"And you want me to go to Port Angelis again?" Why would he have to talk to me about this?

"No. We want you to join us." Oh.

"Oh, um, ok. That sounds… fun." Why do they want me there? They don't even know if I'll be staying or not, and even if I am, what business do I have going to a _council meeting_?

"Yeah, we want you to know what you're getting yourself into if you choose to stay," Jake winked.

"Ah, ok. What should I wear?"

"Typical girl, always worried about the wrong things," Paul fumed. He did NOT like me much, that I knew. As a fact. Or maybe more like a rule of life.

"Just something warm," Emily said, "It's supposed to get pretty chilly tonight."

"And drive your own car," Sam said.

"Why?" I asked.

"So you can leave after the stories if the real meeting gets too boring for you, or the elder wish you to leave," Sam informed.

"Alrighty then," I sighed. Tonight was going to be…interesting. I could feel it.

"What's for dinner tonight, Em?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen around 4ish.

"We'll be having hot dogs and hamburgers at the beach tonight and Jacob's dad is going to be grilling them, so we don't have to worry about a thing," she assured me.

"Awesome."

"So, what have you been doing today?" Emily asked.

"Jake and Embry took me to Forks and drove me around some. It didn't take long to get a tour of the place."

"Did you get to meet the sheriff?"

"Yeah, Charlie's a pretty cool guy. It's sad what happened to his daughter though… And not too long ago, either."

"Yeah, Jake feels that loss pretty bad too," Emily frowned. But it wasn't quite the frown I would have expected. It wasn't as soft and heartfelt. Did Bella and Emily not get along or something? I knew I was missing something there.

"I could tell, he got a pretty mad look on his face when Charlie started talking about her. Was she an old girlfriend of his?"

"Oh, no. They never dated. But they were very close friends and he loved her dearly."

"That's so sad… I know how it feels to lose someone close to you…"

"You do?" Emily had that worried-mom look on her face.

"A friend of mine died when I was 17. Every time I see an eagle, I think about him…"

"Why an eagle, if you don't mind me asking?" Emily was still worried, but I could tell she was curious too.

"Because he would always tell me this story that his mom told him when he was little about this eagle that had fallen out of its nest into a chicken nest. It would look into the sky and see all of the eagles flying around and would say, 'I wish I could fly too,' but the chickens would tell him he couldn't because he was just a chicken. He lived his life as a chicken because he let everyone around him tell him what he was and what he could and couldn't do. He died still longing to fly, but believing he couldn't. Adam told me not to listen to the chickens telling me I couldn't be an eagle; that if there was something I wanted to do or be, not to let others get in my way and tell me I couldn't. He lived this philosophy; he was an eagle to the day he died, flying high above all the chickens that told him he couldn't. He_ literally_ flew above them, he _loved_ planes. Planes were his passion and he flew them almost every day. He died in a plane crash, and at least he could say he died doing what he loved to do. Which is how I find peace with it," I said. Emily was wide eyed and her mouth was open.

"That is one of the most beautiful stories I think I've ever heard!" she cried, "I'm so sorry that something like that had to happen to you and your friend…"

"Don't be, he went out in a good way, and it was more his style anyway. I think he would have chosen this over dying as an old man in a nursing home."

"Do you still listen to his advice?" Emily asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here today. I would have listened to everyone who told me traveling the United States of America instead of going to college was a stupid idea. I wouldn't have ever met any of you, and I would have been the poorer for it," I said as I hugged her. She hugged me back. We stood like that for a few moments before we broke apart and smiled at each other. We both had tears in our eyes.

"We would be the poorer too, if it wasn't for Adam," she said.

"Hey, girls," Sam called, "We need to leave soon."

"Oh shit," I said.

"What?" Emily asked.

"I need to get dressed."

I decided upon wearing grey, knee-high socks over dark skinny jeans with tall brown boots and a navy blue v-neck long-sleeved shirt under my mulberry winter coat. I also threw on a grey knit cap for extra warmth. But none of that helped me much because this is the Olympic peninsula. And if you are outside at night in the Olympic Peninsula, you are going to be cold. Unless of course you are a Quileute boy and you don't understand the meaning of the word. I swear, these boys are crazy, wearing shorts and t-shirts in the wintertime. They're going to be the death of me.

"Hello, Natasha," Billy greeted me, "It's been a while since I've seen your face."

"Yeah, it has been," I smiled as I shook his hand.

"This is Sue Clearwater, she's the only other tribal elder," he introduced. I saw Quil's face change to a look of sadness. I wonder what the story there is…

"Hi, Tasha. Oh, sorry, Seth just talks about you so much, that I've even begun to refer to you by that name as well. I hope you don't mind," she smiled.

"Not at all, Ms. Clearwater," I assured. She seemed like a very nice person, I was beginning to see where Seth got it from.

I followed Emily over to the fire and sat down next to Embry.

"Hey, Tasha," he greeted.

"Hey, Embry." I noticed he had a plate full of hot dogs.

"Where can I get one of those?" I asked, pointing to the hotdogs.

"I'll go get you some. How many would you like?"

"Oh, no, I can get them myself." I tried to stand up, but Embry pushed me back onto my seat gently.

"Don't worry about it, make yourself at home. How many would you like?"

"I guess two… Maybe some ketchup if there is any?"

"Alright, two hotdogs with ketchup coming right up," he grinned. He was just soo cute… Maybe I should take Em's advice and flirt with him tonight?

"Hi," a girl with beautiful, bronze hair said.

"Hi."

"You must be Natasha, Jacob's told me a lot about you," she smiled. She had to have been the most beautiful person I had seen in my whole life. Her skin was very pale, but it just seemed to suit her so well. And she had the most gorgeous brown eyes.

"Oh, you know Jacob," I smiled.

"Yes, we hang out a_ lot_," she laughed, "I'm Nessie by the way."

"It's nice to meet you. Jacob never told me he was seeing anyone," I said as I sent a sly look his way while smiling. Nessie laughed.

"You're even funnier than I thought you'd be," she giggled. Jacob walked up behind her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I told you she was pretty awesome though, didn't I?" he teased.

"Well, Billy's about to begin his big speech, so we better go sit down," Nessie said to Jake, "It was nice meeting you, Natasha."

"It was nice meeting you too," I called.

"Here we are," he said as he returned. When he sat back down, he sat a little closer than he had been before. I was pretty happy about that; I won't lie. I munched on my hot dog happily as Billy began to make his speech.

(All the stuff that you read in New Moon. Skipping ahead to Third Wife part.)

"And the third wife plunged the dagger into her stomach. As the blood oozed from her body, the cold woman ceased paying attention to Taha Aki long enough for him to pounce upon her and rip her to pieces. By sacrificing her own life, the Third Wife saved the Quileute tribe and her beloved."

"Wow… That's so… I can't even describe it," I whispered to Embry.

"I know, right?" he whispered back. The wind blew and I shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," I replied sheepishly.

"Here," he said as he draped an arm over my shoulder and scooted closer, "You'll be warmer this way."

He was so warm, I couldn't believe it. But I defiantly wasn't complaining.

"It is because of the story of the third wife that we Quileutes believe in a love so binding, death cannot even break it," Billy went on, "We believe that each and every one of us has someone out there that is ours, and we are theirs and nothing could break our love. But this love is rare, and not all of us will find it. We call this love an Imprint." I saw all of the couples around the fire make eyes at each other. Sam and Emily shared a sweet kiss. I could see that they had found the love Billy was talking about. Embry held me closer to him and I blushed.

"Well, that's it for stories," Billy said, "Everyone grab some more grub if you want some. The real meeting will begin soon."

"How did you like that?" Embry asked.

"I really enjoyed the stories. Especially the last one," I smiled.

"Typical girl," I could hear Paul say.

"Well, Tasha, we have a confession to make…" Jake said.

"They aren't fictional stories," Sam said as he put a hand on my shoulder, "They're real."

"I would expect that kind of tomfoolery from the other guys, but not from you, Sam," I laughed.

"I'm not lying. All of that stuff about us turning into wolves is true." He was serious. And when Sam is serious, he's **serious**. I began to be scared. Where these people crazy? I mean, I'd grown to love them, but if they really believed something like this, they were in serious need of mental attention. Or maybe they had just made friends with me so they could use me as a sacrifice in some sort of weird "werewolf" ritual thing?

"But guys, seriously. You can't really turn into wolves. It's just not physically possible." I began to nudge toward my car.

"You think we're crazy, don't you?!" Paul yelled, "You don't believe us! You can't wrap your pretty little head around a simple fact, can you?"

"Paul, calm down," Jared tried to sooth him.

"Ok, guys. I'm leaving now. I can't take this." My voice was shaking. As soon as I turned around, I heard this loud ripping noise, like a lot tearing cloth. I turned around to see a giant, grey wolf staring at me from where Paul had been standing. I freaked. I screamed. I ran to my car.

I was on the highway now, determined to get as far away from all of that as possible. I kept replaying the last couple of moments in my head: I saw a giant wolf, I ran, I heard the boys calling after me, Embry grabbed me, I punched him with my keys between my fingers, I paused as I watched blood trickle down his cheek and saw the pained look in his eyes, I ran again. I was scared out of my mind and all I wanted to do was get far, far away from here and never, ever, EVER come back.

I drove for hours before I was sure I was far enough away and I found a nice motel to stay the night at. I had a hard time falling to sleep as I listened to wolves howling at the moon.

**There we are! What'sa happen next?! :DDDD**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys… Sorry it's been so long XD School is a real bitch, especially AP classes… Special thanks to JinLing, KMCCL3, OneHeart OneDirection, Warning- Dr. Pepper, arsenal11, caleb's babe, poizonedfirefly01, xXwritteninthestarsXx, Angel of BlackFrost, Clarinetgoddess62, Lil Miss Army Kid, You cant rush science, cloe4ever44, fangs girl17, and rayden24 for the favorites and follows! Also to Warning- Dr. Pepper and Clarinetgoddess62 for their reviews! And lastly, to my wonderful friend and beta reader, who always makes sure I'm not being stupid, artfulChemist :) Luv ya, hon! Here's the next chapter! Yaya! :D**

It had been a week since I had left La Push and I was in Nevada now; far, far away from all of that… Whatever it was. And I was happy. I was in Winnemucca, a small town, but larger than the one I just escaped from. Escaped…? I blocked those feelings from my mind. I had told myself that I would never go back there, that it was just too much.

Sometimes, I would think that maybe someone had just put something in my drink and that I had had a hallucination. But I had driven just fine and I could just _feel_ that it was real. _I could feel it_. And it frightened me. But did it really…? YES. IT DID AND I'M NEVER GOING BACK.

I'm in the only Laundromat in Winnemucca washing all of clothes; one load full. I watched through the clear front of the machine as my clothes tossed in the soapy water. I've been sitting here for a while so my clothes must be almost done. I'm happy for that because the only other person in this building- the old woman at the counter- has been watching me since I walked in and it unsettles me… The washer beeped at me.

As I unloaded my clothes into the dryer, the old woman came up to me.

"Dear," she startled me, "Something is on your mind, I can tell." This is one reason why I don't like small towns, people feel like they can just walk right up to you and start talking about your personal matters.

"No, ma'am, I'm fine," I lied to her.

"No, dear, you aren't. And I will bet my money that it's a boy."

I sighed. "Sort of…"

"Tell me about it dear," she said softly as she put a withered hand on my shoulder.

"It's really a whole situation… But I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Alright, dear, but if I were you, I'd go back to that situation and try again. Many things can seem scary at first, but you need to keep an open mind and an open heart. If you do, blessings find it easier to get in," she smiled. She turned and went back to the counter.

'What even does she know?' I asked myself, 'She doesn't know what I've seen… What I've felt…'

"But, dear, I would give all I have to go back to him and say that I was sorry. Don't lose someone you love because of your stubbornness…"

The dryer beeped and a got all of my clothes back in my bag and hurried out the door.

(break to another point of time. If anyone knows how to put the lines in, I would much appreciate if you would share the knowledge)

I was laying on the bed in my motel room, deciding if I should stay in Winnemucca for a while or just leave tonight. I think I'll leave tonight… But where to next? Maybe visit Eureka, see if it's anything like in the show lol. I highly, highly doubt it. But I think I'll still give it a try. I decided to take a good long nap before heading out.

When I woke up, I decided I would go to one of the dinners around here for some grub. Now I was sitting in one and there were, maybe 3 other tables? Weird town… Even in forks, all the dinners would be full at this time. It was only about 7:30… Maybe this is a town of early-to-beders? I sort of doubted that…

"Here, you are, ma'am," the waiter said as he placed my grilled catfish in front of me.

"Thanks," I smiled politely.

"Say, are you new in town?" he asked. I looked at him for real for the first time and was almost taken aback at how much he looked like a friend of mine.

"Um… Just passing through," I told him. He even had the cowlick on his eyebrow…

"Oh, come on, Natasha, it hasn't been _that_ long," he complained.

"Oh my glob! Andy!" I jumped up and threw my arms around him. It had been _months_ since I had last seen him. He had been going to college in Indiana, but I guess he really lived here. We had been working in the same restaurant before I left town.

"Hey girl! How have you been?" he smiled. I got up and we hugged each other.

"I've been… alright," I replied with a bit of hesitance.

"Tash, you sure about that?" Andy always knew when I was lying…

"No… But I don't want to talk about it," I pouted.

"Fine," he huffed, "But if you ever feel the need, my number's still the same."

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled. Andy had been like a big brother figure to me in high school and he apparently still wanted that to be a thing. I sat down to begin my meal and Andy took the seat across from me. As I ate, he told me of how things had been going for him. This job he had was only like a side deal to put a little more money in his pocket but he was really an assistant at the local hospital. He was on his way to becoming a doctor, like he had always wanted. I was so happy for him; he had a good future ahead of him and it was in doing what he wanted to do. He had found his niche.

"So how did you like the south?" he asked as I finished up my fish.

"It was alright, nice people, warm weather. It was actually a little too warm… "

"You won't like it here, then," Andy chuckled.

"Why?"

"It gets A LOT hotter here in the summer, I promise."

"Well, fuck. Not staying here then."

"I didn't think you would. So where to next?"

"I was thinking Eureka, but now I'm thinking, screw Nevada… I'm just not going to deal with the Midwest…"

"Maybe you could check out the Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas area?"

"I've been there already… It was nice, but just too few towns scattered too far apart."

"I see, you want a legitimate city. No towns, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Come on, just tell me what's wrong."

"Don't you have other tables to go to?" I asked in desperation.

"Nope, you're my last customer tonight," he said in his cocky way. I pouted again.

"Well, if you must know—"

"And I must."

"I was in a small town just a few weeks ago that I found myself falling for…"

"What made you leave?" He was becoming more concerned.

"Well, I met some people that I really liked, but they turned out to be something I didn't think they were…"

"What was that?"

"I can't really say…"

"Come on, Tashy, just tell me."

"You'll think I'm insane…"

"I know you, Natasha. No matter how weird it is, I trust that you're truthful," he replied as he put his hand over mine.

"Well… They turn into giant wolves…"

"And you're being 100% truthful with me?" He was holding back a laugh.

"Yes!" I slapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you sure you weren't high or something?"

"Andy, you know I don't use drugs."

"I know what you've decided for yourself, ya weirdy, but that wouldn't stop somebody from spiking your drink."

"I know what I saw!"

"Alright, alright! Well, why don't you stay in town for another night and we can meet up tomorrow to really talk this thing out, ok?"

"Ok…"

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"I could just rent another room at the motel," I suggested.

"No, no, no. You are NOT staying another night in that motel. Not on my watch."

"Are you gonna pay for my room at a nicer place, then? Because I'm on a very tight budget right now," I told him.

"Why don't I take you over to my parent's place. You've met them, right? I'm pretty sure you have."

"Yeah, I have. Don't you remember how your mom was trying to get me to date you?" I asked with a giggle.

"Ugh… She does that so often, that the multitude of times she's done that all bleed together and I can't tell them apart…"

"Let's go then. All of my stuff is in my trunk."

"You mean that enormous cavern you call a trunk?" he snarked.

"Haha, yes."

"Let me finishing working first, then you can follow me there."

**Bluh. Ending here for right now. Andy is based off of a good friend of mine from work that I may never work with again since he's going on to greater things… But he and I WILL stay in touch. And thanks for reading! I appreciate it :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey, sorry it took so long for me to post again! AP Lit just takes up so much of my time T.T And thanks for your comment, ****Clarinetgoddess62****, I hope you like this chapter!**

Embry's POV (night Natasha left)

"When is Tasha gonna get here?" I asked Jacob.

"Awwww, can't wait to see her, can you?" Jacob teased.

"Who's Tasha?" Nessie asked.

"Natasha's Embry's_ Imprint_," Seth mused.

"That's sooo cute, Embry!" Nessie squealed.

"Hey, there she is!" Quil called. My heart stopped for a second when I saw her. It did this every time, but I couldn't make it stop… She was so beautiful, the way her hair flowed in the wind, the way she walked, the way she smiled. Every time I saw her it affirmed more and more that I _needed_ her… I could never be complete without her; I would just be hollow, lifeless. She was my world.

She sat down next to me and my heart began to pound uncontrollably. Just play it cool, Embry…

"Where can I get one of those?" she asked. I processed it for a second before realizing she meant the hotdogs.

"I'll go get you some, how many would you like?" I asked. Yes. Nailed the cool.

"Oh, no, I can get them myself," she said as she started to get up. I stopped her and sat her back down.

"Don't worry about it, make yourself at home. How many would you like?" I asked.

"I guess two… Maybe some ketchup if there is any?" she smiled sheepishly. I smiled back- how could I not?

"Alright, two hotdogs with ketchup coming right up." I walked away and took a big breath. You're doing great so far, Embry. Just remember what Emily told you earlier: try to flirt. If Emily thinks you should, Tasha must feel something of that sense for you. Emily doesn't play people like that.

I got two hotdogs with ketchup and walked back over to Natasha. Remember, play it cool.

"Here we are," I said as I sat down (making sure to sit a tad closer). I handed her her plate and she smiled at me again. She turned away, though, when Billy began speaking.

I had heard these stories many times and didn't even tune in. I just watched Natasha's reactions; she seemed to be enjoying herself tonight. I began to daydream of the time she and I went to the beach together… Being alone with her in my truck had been the best feeling I had ever had… And that sand fight was EPIC. I'm just glad all the sand came out of her coat… Man, that woulda been terrible if it hadn't.

Billy ended his story and I looked to Natasha.

"How did you like that?" I asked.

"I really enjoyed the stories. Especially the last one," she smiled. Yes! This means she'll totally be accepting when I tell her!

"Typical girl," I could hear Paul say. Shit. He's just gonna ruin our plan all over the place…

"Well, Tasha, we have a confession to make…" Jake said. And Jake didn't even notice how that would affect things. Fuck.

"They aren't fictional stories," Sam said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "They're real." Sam too? I would have thought he would understand.

"I would expect that kind of tomfoolery from the other guys, but not from you, Sam," Tasha laughed.

"I'm not lying. All of that stuff about us turning into wolves is true." He was serious. And when Sam is serious, he's **serious**. And Tasha knew that.

"But guys, seriously. You can't really turn into wolves. It's just not physically possible." She began to step backwards.

"You think we're crazy, don't you?!" Paul yelled, "You don't believe us! You can't wrap your pretty little head around a simple fact, can you?"

"Paul, calm down," Jared tried to sooth him. I swear. If he hurts her…

"Ok, guys. I'm leaving now. I can't take this." Her voice was shaking. As soon as she turned around, Paul changed. She paused for a second and turned around. And screamed... And ran…

I called after her as I ran to catch her. I grabbed her wait and she turned and punched me in the face with her keys between her fingers. I saw a look of pure terror in her eyes and I stopped. Tears began to mingle with the blood and I stopped the others from going after her.

"No… Let her go," I said. I don't remember much until the next day except the woods. I don't think I changed, I just walked. But I woke up on Emily and Sam's porch. All I could see in my mind now was her face when she had looked at me. The sheer _terror_ of seeing what we were; _what I was_… To see her so afraid hurt me; to see her so afraid of _me_ cut deeper. The only person in the world that I could ever love was terrified of me. I'm probably in her nightmares now…

I put my face in my hands to find a large amount of dried blood on the left side of my face. I decided to go in and ask Emily to clean me up.

(~~)

"At least she missed your eye," Emily said. Sam put his hand on my shoulder. He conveyed his sympathy without saying a word. Emily finished cleaning all of the blood off and but on some bandages. She told me that I would have to go to Carlisle to get it looked at better, like if it was infected or something.

I didn't eat anything at breakfast; I was still thinking of Natasha… We heard a car pull up and I rushed to the window.

It wasn't Natasha… Apparently, Emily had called Carlisle because he was the one to step out of the car.

"Hello, Embry," Carlisle greeted, "Let's take a look at that eye of yours."

"Did Emily call you," I asked coolly.

"No, Renessme insisted that I come over, actually," he informed. I looked away from him.

"My, that really does not look good," he said. He sewed me up and gave me a cream to put on the stitches to fight infection. I probably didn't even need the stitches… My skin was already beginning to come back together. I might have a scar though. I hoped not… Not because I feel I would be less attractive- I don't worry about that kind of stuff- but just in case Natasha ever came back… I wouldn't want her to feel ashamed of something she had done every time she looked at my face. I knew how that felt, because I knew how Sam felt, and I would hate for her to ever even have to feel sad… Oh, she must still be so afraid now… I just hope she's ok…

"Eeeembryyy?" Seth called.

"What?"

"Finally, you answer. Are you gonna be ok?" I looked away from him. Jake put a hand on Seth's shoulder as if to say "stop." He could understand what I was feeling. So could most of the others by now. Even Paul kept his mouth shut.

"I'm gonna go for a run, guys," I informed them, "Just give me a while to collect my thoughts. Ok?"

"Of course, Embry," Sam said.

I went out into the woods and morphed. I ran to where she and I had spent her first day here. The sand castle was long gone. The surface was smooth; not a footprint on it. I decided to ruin its harmony. I dug a large hole in the sand and laid down in it. I thought of our sand castle and our sand fight. The memories were still so vivid to me. How could something that had brought me so much joy now bring me so much hurt? I howled a little and whined. I laid my head down in the sand and cried till I fell asleep.

The next week was much of the same; I walked around like a shell. I was hollow without her, just as I had thought. I missed her so much and I was beginning to think that she would never come back. The younger boys didn't understand why I wouldn't go after her. They didn't have imprints yet. She didn't want to be here; I couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. It's like the Switchfoot song; I love her enough to let her go.

Yeah, that song had become my theme song in the past couple of days. It kinda helped to remind me that this is what you do for love, that she was happier this way. And if she was happier, then the situation was better. But I still thought about what if our plane hadn't been ruined by Paul… I imagined she was here and happy and ok with me being a wolf. I imagined lunches around the table and nights around a fire, I imagined us holding hands and walking along the beach again… But that defiantly did NOT help to ease any pain…

"Embry… Please eat something," Emily pleaded. I hadn't been able to finish a meal since Natasha left and she was worried about me. Hell, my mom could tell something was up… She never asked me what though. I think she's always known I was a wolf, but she never asks me about it. Well, not anymore anyway.

"Eat your dinner, Embry," Sam said. Not in a commanding way though, he understood… The whole pack could by now. And I'm sure they were tired of it…

I ate some of the food on my plate and headed back into the woods. I was on the patrol team tonight and I might as well keep this place safe if I have nothing better to do. About an hour later, Sam and Brady joined me and we wandered the forest. This was my first patrol in a week and it actually felt pretty good to be with the pack again. I caught a whiff of a familiar scent… It smelled like Natasha's perfume! I ran away from the others, running after that wonderful smell. I followed it all the way into Forks and into a neighborhood and stopped in my tracks. The girl I saw through the window wasn't Natasha; she looked nothing like her in any way with her straight, blonde hair and brown eyes. She turned her head as her mother called her.

"Natalie!" Almost Natasha.

"Yeah, mom?" She didn't even sound like Natasha… I turned away and went back to the others. I told them what happened and Sam told me to go home, which I did. But the next morning at breakfast, Emily had some good news.

**HA! Cliffhanger, bitches! :DD thanks to everyone who follows and favorites me and writes reviews! 3 you guys!**


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